


and then he said I love you

by Evax3



Series: Winterfell High [3]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Breakfast at the Starks', Family Dynamics, Jon's a little overprotective, Multi, first time "i love you", relationship revealed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-08-10 00:34:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20126437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evax3/pseuds/Evax3
Summary: Standing in front of the kitchen for about half an hour, Arya and Gendry were waiting for the right moment to tell the Starks about their relationship.Though, what's the worst that could happen?Except that hell breaks loose.—Breakfast at the Starks’ and unexpected revelations.





	and then he said I love you

**Author's Note:**

> I've really been thinking a lot about how to introduce Gendrya in this verse. But somehow it didn't seem right to just only mention them in a chapter of the other Throbb Fics. I just like this couple too much and they really deserved their own little story.

“This is complete suicide,” Gendry snorted and Arya turned away from the door and faced her boyfriend.

_Her boyfriend_. It might take some time for her to get used to this thought. It still made her smile and giggle and startled all the butterflies that seemed to live in her belly.

Biting her lip, she watched him. So, he really seemed nervous. The way his expression was all grim, and she could see his jaw move constantly. Probably he was gritting his teeth in a way that might cause some real damage.

She shrugged. “Now's as good as always.”

Tough he didn't seem convinced.

Even both their families new they hung out sometimes, everybody still thought it was a little strange.

Because Gendry was four years older than her, was the same year as Jon and Robb, albeit at a different school. He’d go to college just like them, while Arya was just about to start high school after summer.

But they matched kind of, had the same humor, liked the same shitty horror movies and he understood her, and her sometimes highly confusing thoughts, like nobody else did.

And she knew he was something special, right from the first moment she'd seen him. _When she really had seen him. _As their uncle Bob had brought him to their 4th of July barbecue, five years ago, and told everyone that his son Gendry was moving in with him now.

Who had told her years later, when they were all alone, at a moment when they’d both realized that their strange friendship might not have been so strange after all and was maybe even a bit more. That his mother had met a new guy, and therefore there’d been no more room for him.

And that he missed her sometimes, but that he was also quite happy that he’d come to Boston. Otherwise he wouldn’t have met her, Arya.

And thereupon Arya had kissed him.

Her first kiss ever.

It was to be expected, that it won’t go perfect. Too hard, too stormy. So much, that Gendry had fallen backwards from the bench and landed in the wet grass, staring at her with huge eyes, lying on the ground, looking pretty confused.

It still made her laugh, today as it did back then, when she thought about it.

“We don't back down now,” she said determined and turned back to the door, opened it a crack.

They were all there. Sitting together like every Sunday at the big oak table at breakfast.

Her father and Robb discussed politics and current world affairs as usual. Theon and Jon sitting beside them, arguing about whether Hip Hop could be called real music or not.

Opposite them her mother, who once again scolded Rickon for playing with his food. While Sansa and Margaery solved the crossword puzzle, together with Bran.

“We do it after summer break.”

He was now standing so close behind her, that she could feel his breathing in her neck. So, when she turned back around, they were way too close, nose to chin, for her to glare at him.

She looked up and he looked down. Their mouths twitched and briefly Arya thought about giving in and dragging him back up to her room.

But then she shook her head. “I don't see why _we_, of all people, have to make a secret out of this.”

And she put her hands in her hip.

“Sansa had a boyfriend who kept pestering her all the time, he even slapped her once and nobody said anything.

“Jon and Ygritte came together when they were both as old as I am now. And back then she already looked like she’d pull a knife at any second, just to carve her name into his skin.

“And we don't even want to start with Robb's choice of partner. Who’d made sure that he had to see a therapist for three months and now simply has to do fucking community service.”

Gendry grinned; so, she was on the right track.

“They really should be happy with us. But if not, well, they’re very welcome to just screw themselves.”

His answer was just to pull up his eyebrows, like he always did, when she went a little too far, but she didn't take back her words. Instead just grabbed him by the hand, opened the door and then they entered the kitchen.

At first, nobody seemed to pay them any attention. They just took the last empty seats, fetched the breadbasket and started eating. 

“How come you're so late?” Rickon looked at her over the edge of his bowl full of cornflakes, after both of them sat there in silence, just eating, for solid five minutes.

“Had to discuss something,” Arya munched, and her eyes flicked to Gendry, but he just nodded and stared further at his plate.

And with that, her father finally became aware of them too, took a sip from his coffee cup, put it back down and then turned to Gendry.

“Well, how's Robert?” he asked, “it's been a while since I've seen him. Hopefully he won't forget we go fishing tomorrow.”

“Maybe you better give him a call,” Gendry replied.

He tried a small smile, but Arya knew he was always a little insecure when talking to her father. Ned simply had this unwanted aura of authority, which he certainly needed at work and sometimes simply couldn’t take off at home.

“He seemed a little frustrated that both Loras and Robb left the team this year,” Gendry continued, “it certainly won’t be easy to find a new Runningback and a new Quarterback at the same time.”

“Well, he surely won’t find _such a good one_,” Theon laughed and clapped Robb on the shoulder, maybe with little too much force. “And also such a pretty one.”

Robb frowned, when Theon ruffled his curls, but his hand remained on Theon’s as he put it back on the table, and that was the sign Arya had needed.

Gendry’s were both lying on the table as well, right next to his plate and without thinking any further, Arya lifted her own from her lap, grabbed his, intertwined their fingers and stared into the round.

It was the classic domino effect, when one conversation after the other died and stunned faces looked back and forth between the two of them.

It was Jon, the first able to form some words again.

“What - the - fuck?”

Okay, maybe his language did still stick a little. But Arya just replied nothing, only frowned back at him.

So, she knew it’d been a fifty-fifty chance with Jon, as she had the closest relationship with him within her whole family. Therefore, he’d either be super supportive or super protective. As it looked, rather the latter.

Though, he wasn't the only one she had to justify herself to.

“Arya, what's going on here?” Catelyn got that look in her eyes, the one that couldn't mean anything good. 

It was the same she’d given to her, when she announced that she was now a vegetarian or that she wanted to get the motorcycle license. Everything about her said, _is this another one of your silly ideas?_

Except that those ideas had been anything but silly, and neither was this one. She squeezed Gendry’s hand even harder.

“We're together now, and you better get used to it.”

“Excuse me?” Jon inquired, leaning further on the table with the underside of his arm, “he's definitely too old for you.”

“And who says so?”

“Well, me. Just now.”

“Like I need some relationship advice from any of _you_.”

And she looked from Sansa to Jon and then to Robb. “Abuser, psychopath, criminal.”

Sansa opened her mouth, obviously offended, and so did Robb.

“Well, she does have a point, doesn’t she?” Theon smirked, but then had at least the decency to look sheepishly into his coffee cup, when all eyes had turned against him.

“Don't you realize she's still a child?” Jon seemed on the brink of fuming, when he looked at Gendry, who, at that, flinched back a little.

“I - I know it seems weird, but, but we’re really sure about this, and - and I love her, you know?”

“Wait a minute,” Arya let go of his hand, “you do WHAT?”

She turned to face him, watching a pink blush crep up Gendry’s neck, starting at the collar of his t-shirt. “I – I love you?”

“Is that a question?”

“Um, no, I think?”

And then she burst out laughing.

Because how could he say something like this, just like _that _? When she closed her eyes, she felt her heart beating, doing a little jump, showing her how happy she was.

And it also was just so awkward to tell her this in front of her whole family. _For the first time_. But it was also so damn sweet, maybe one of the sweetest thing he’s ever done, and he really did a lot of sweet things.

And after she had calmed down a little, she leaned forward and took his face in her hands, kissing him on the mouth, full force. Because she loved him too, of course she did. And thank god, the chair had a backrest, otherwise he probably would have fallen backwards again.

But so instead he kissed her back now, smiled slightly against her lips and the butterflies fluttered again, but it was a good feeling, she might get used to it.

And when they parted, they both still smiled, but were finally interrupted by Margaery's cheer of delight, coming from the end of the table.

“Aww, just look at them.”

For everyone to turn to her now, but she just shrugged her shoulders.

“Come on guys, they're really cute, aren't they?”

So, at least they had one person in their corner, or maybe two, when Ned cleared his throat and looked her in the eye.

“I'm assuming we can't talk you out of it now anyway, even if I agree with Jon. You're way too young for that kind of relationship.”

Arya suppressed the impulse to disagree.

“I don't want to ban it, though at least there have to be rules.” He kept looking at her, till she finally nodded.

Then, he winked, just short, but immediately Arya felt a lot easier around the heart.

“Thank you,” she mouthed and then turned to her mother, who got up from the table.

“Well, now that we've clarified that,” she even smiled a little, barely noticeably but still there, and looked directly at Gendry, “since you're now part of the family, I think it’s just fair, for you both to clear out the table.”

Arya had expected a lot, but certainly not this. While everyone slowly got up from their seats, she turned to Gendry and just couldn't hold back a wide grin spreading on her face. He grinned back.

And then, with a closer look, she realized, things went even _better_ than planned.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! Kudos & comments are love, so please spread them. <3
> 
> And if you like, do hit me up on [tumblr](https://evax3.tumblr.com/) as evax3 :)


End file.
